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Freight Transport

Mr. Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if the Strategic Rail Authority will have a duty to promote the transfer of freight from road to rail. [74850]

Dr. Reid [holding answer 5 March 1999]: Subject to Parliament's consideration of the necessary legislation, the Strategic Rail Authority will have a duty to promote integrated transport and powers to promote the transfer of freight from road to rail by means of grants. One of the Strategic Rail Authority's most important tasks will be to address the needs of freight as well as passengers, and the balance between the demands of each.

Mr. Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if the Strategic Rail Authority will have (a) a duty and (b) a power to influence matters outside the rail industry but which nevertheless affect it, with particular reference to maximum lorry weights. [74831]

Dr. Reid [holding answer 5 March 1999]: The Strategic Rail Authority will act as a champion for the railways, taking an overview of the industry and speaking for it, subject to Parliamentary consideration of the necessary legislation. The Strategic Rail Authority will be consulted by the Commission for Integrated Transport as part of its remit in advising the Government on lorry weights and the development of railfreight.

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Mr. Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if the Strategic Rail Authority will have a duty to require a minimum percentage of train paths to be available for freight traffic. [74851]

Dr. Reid [holding answer 5 March 1999]: Subject to Parliament's consideration of the necessary legislation, the Rail Regulator will remain responsible for approving track access agreements. The Strategic Rail Authority will, however, develop targets for both the passenger and the freight railway, and address the balance between the demands of passenger and freight services.

English Partnerships

Mrs. Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how much of the indicative budgets proposed to be passed to the regional development agencies from English Partnerships for 1999-2000 and future years is not committed (a) in contractual terms and (b) in principle for each of the regional development agencies. [74901]

Mr. Meale [holding answer 5 March 1999]: The indicative budgets have yet to be finalised. Based on the latest provisional budgets, the percentage not committed in contractual terms (defined in this context as projects which have reached the final internal appraisal stage within English Partnerships) is as follows:

Percentage
North East27
North West1
Yorkshire and Humberside2.5
East Midlands12
West Midlands51.5
Eastern37
South West22
South East40

The figures are still being reviewed.

It will be for the RDAs themselves to consider how to handle in principle commitments within the overall resources available to them.

Budgets for 2000-01 and 2001-02 will be determined taking into account the RDAs' corporate plans.

Mrs. Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how much is being allocated to (a) the reclamation and development of the Greenwich site, (b) the setting up and running of databases on brown-field sites and (c) the managing of

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the programme of millennium villages from the funding proposed to be retained centrally by English Partnerships in 1999-2000. [75743]

Mr. Meale: The Department will make an allocation to EP for the tasks it has been agreed the Agency should undertake. It is for EP to decide how to allocate those resources in accordance with proposals presented in their corporate plan.

EP's proposed allocations for these projects for 1999-2000 are as follows:

Allocation£ million
(a) Greenwich18
(b) Brownfield Sites0.5
(c) Millennium Villages5.4

Note:

In addition to the funding at (a), EP have a separate ringfenced grant in aid budget of some £15m for the Greenwich Millennium Dome site. 1999-2000 is the final year of this three-year programme.


Planning Policy

Mr. Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will offer additional guidance to local planning authorities seeking to promote re-use of buildings in their local development plans. [75500]

Mr. Raynsford: Guidance on the re-use of buildings for residential purposes will be included in the revised version of Planning Policy Guidance note 3: Housing, which will be issued for public consultation shortly.

Mr. Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions which planning policy guidance notes issued by the Planning Inspectorate are currently being reviewed. [75502]

Mr. Raynsford: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 11 February 1999, Official Report, column 308. No Planning Policy Guidance notes are issued by the Planning Inspectorate.

Monarch Butterfly

Mr. Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what steps he is taking to ensure the survival of the Monarch butterfly. [75102]

Mr. Meale [holding answer 8 March 1999]: There are no known wild populations of the Monarch butterfly in Britain. It is one of the most widely distributed butterflies in the warmer parts of the world, occurring throughout the Americas, Asia and Australasia, and is not considered to be threatened.

Asbestos

Mr. Frank Cook: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many HSE inspectors by region are (a) qualified and (b) available to police the new regulations and codes of practice relating to the safe removal of asbestos. [74795]

Mr. Meale [holding answer 8 March 1999]: In 1999-2000, HSE's Field Operations Directorate plans to have the full-time equivalent of 530 fully trained

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inspectors in operational groups; just over 500 are currently in post. Their regional distribution is shown in the following table.

Inspector years

RegionCurrent number of qualified inspectors in operational groupsPlanned allocation of all operational inspections (including) trainees) for 1999-2000Planned allocation of qualified operational inspectors for 1999-2000
Scotland526353
North West687969
Yorkshire and North East678372
Midlands678676
Wales and West9310796
Home Counties829384
London and South East749380

All trained inspectors are able to deal with asbestos removal work which they encounter in the course of their work. They are familiar with the legal requirements, the hazard and the risk and can call on other colleagues in Regional Specialist Groups for assistance and support as necessary.

In practice, however, the majority of asbestos removal work is carried out in specific types of premises eg those owned or controlled by local authorities, the health service and construction, particularly demolition sites.

116 operational inspectors are allocated to the construction sector. Construction inspectors develop their knowledge and skills by attending a specific Asbestos Removal training course. Some of these inspectors are given additional training and assessment, including health surveillance, so that they can undertake higher-level inspection work inside asbestos removal enclosures.

Currently, some 50 inspectors are trained to this higher level; most regions have 7, one has 8 in post. This number may fluctuate depending on staff movement.

EC Environmental Councils

Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will publish agendas for the forthcoming EC environmental councils on (a) 11 to 12 March and (b) 24 to 25 June. [75194]

Mr. Meale [holding answer 8 March 1999]: The following is the agenda for the Environment Council 11 March:


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    Proposal for a Council Directive amending Directive 88/609/EEC, on the limitation of emissions of certain pollutants into the air from large combustion plants.


    Policy debate


    Proposal for a Council Directive on the incineration of waste.


    Progress report.

The agenda for the Council on the 24 to 25 June will not be decided until nearer the time.


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